Card-receptacle.



J. F. DUNLEAVY. GARD REGEPTAGLE. APPLICATION FILED 001 .7, 1912.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH cu., WASHINGTON, D. I;

JAMES FRANK DUNLEAVY, OFNEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CARD-RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

Application filed October 7, 1912. Serial No. 724,234.

To all whom it may cone-em Be it known that I, JAMns FRANK DUN- LnAvY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts have invented new and useful Improvements in Card-Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in card index files or drawers and has for its object to provide a device for locking the card retaining rod in position through the cards contained therein in order to obviate or decrease the possibility of removal or disarrangement by persons not properly authorized. Various devices of this general character have been devised many of which are operated by means of a key of peculiar construction and manipulated in such a way that considerable stress is brought to bear upon the shank of the key near the handle when subjecting it to the peculiar lever movement required to operate the look. It has been observed in practice that this frequently results in the snapping or breaking of the key at the bottom or end of the shank near the handle rendering the key useless and the lock temporarily inoperative and it is one of the objects of my invention to provide a device for locking the card retaining rod in position which may be unlocked by a slight rotary movement of a key reinforced, almost in its entirety, in its operative position by a key closure, thereby removing practically all possibility of breaking the key while in operative engagement with the lock.

My invention consists in the various features of novelty and usefulness that will be hereinafter pointed out in the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional view of the front end of my improved card file or drawer; Fig. 2 is a front view of my improved card file or drawer partly broken away; Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the card retaining rod and locking device; Fig. 4.- is a transverse section of the same on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the part of the retaining rod which engages with the file or drawer; and Fig. 7 shows a modification.

In a preferred form of my invention I provide a housing or card retaining rodsocket 1 fixed to the front end of a card file or drawer 2 and adapted to receive a stem 3 of a retaining rod 3 having a shank 3 to engage with the cards or papers in the file. In this preferred form the stem portion 3 of the retaining rod is made somewhat larger in diameter than the shank portion, the in crease in diameter being effected in a gradual slope for a purpose hereinafter explained.

The stem portion of the rod is interiorly recessed at 4 to receive an inner rotatable key closure 5, and it has also a longitudinal recess or slot 6 on its top side terminating at its inner end into a short offset recess or circumferential slot 7 (see Figs. 4: and 6). Said stem portion 3 is also provided with a longitudinal keyway 8 adapted to engage with a key 9, fixed to the housing, and secure the retaining rod against rotary displacement within said housing. The key 9 also serves to limit the inward movement of the retaining rod. A pin 10 arranged and.

fixed transversely of the stem portion 3 engages with a circumferential recess in the key closure 5 thereby securing the said key closure against longitudinal displacement in the hollow end of the stem portion 3 but permitting a slight rotary movement therein.

The housing 1 has contained within a flanged portion 11 and on its upper part a cylindrical tube 12 with its upper end turned or spun over at 13, said tube having two diametrically opposite slots 14 extending from the bottom thereof a short distance upward and adapted to act as guides for a flattened head 15, having a beveled edge 16, of a spring pressed plunger or bolt 17 contained within the tube 12. A coil spring 18 interposed between the flattened head 15 of the plunger 17 and the spun over end 14 of the tube maintains a normal pressure downward of the plunger. A key 19 comprising a shank 20 having a handle 21, the usual ward 22, and near its inner end a projection or web 23, is adapted to cotiperate with a keyway or key slot 24 in the key closure 5.

A cotter pin '25 limits the downward movement of the plunger or bolt 17 when the retaining rod is Withdrawn from the file or drawer.

In its mode of operation my device is extremely simple and efficient. In looking relation as shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines, the flattened head 15 of the plunger 17 is in engagement with the circumferential recess 7 thereby securing the retaining rod against longitudinal movement. When it is desired to release the stem portion and withdraw the card retaining rod from the housing the end of the key 19 is inserted in the key slot 24; in the closure 5 and the latter is then rotated within the stem portion of the retaining rod until the slot 24: is brought into diametrical alinement with the longitudinal slot 6 of the stem portion 3 of the retaining rod 3". The key is then forced into the slot until the web 23 comes opposite the circumferential recess 7. The key is then turned to the right and engages with the beveled edge 16 of the plunger 17 lifting the latter out of engagement with the recess 7 in the stem portion and bringing the web 23 of the key into longitudinal locking engagement with the retaining rod. Said rod may now be wholly or partially withdrawn from the file or drawer. When it is desired to replace it the rod is simply pushed into the housing having the keyway 8 in the stem portion in longitudinal alinement with the key 9 of the housing. The plunger 17 will ride up on the sloping portion of the rod and spring into locking position when alined with the recess 7.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 7 the stem 3 is constructed the same as already described, but I omit the key closure 5 and provide a socket 1 to which is fixed, as by rivets, a spring latch 15 adapted to engage with the slot 7 to lock the stem within the socket 1 The key 19 is passed into stem 3 as before and rotated and as its web 23 enters slot 7 it lifts latch 15 out of engagement with stem 3 leaving the latter free to be pulled out by means of the key 19.

It will be understood that I am not restricted to the precise form and arrange ment of parts shown and described inasmuch as various changes in minor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

1 claim as my invention 1. The improved card receptacle made with a retaining rod socket; a retaining rod having a shank to engage the cards and a stem to occupy the socket, said stem being made with a key recess having a circumfer ential offset at its inner end; a spring pressed plunger cooperating with the circumferential offset of the key recess to lock the stem within the socket and a key provided with a web, said key being adapted to be passed into said recess and rotated on a longitudinal axis to cause its web to enter said offset and repel the plunger.

2. The improved card receptacle made with a retaining rod socket; a retaining rod having a shank to engage the cards and a stem to occupy the socket made with a key recess having an offset at its inner end comprising a circumferential recess adapted to receive a spring pressed plunger or latch; a key adapted to be rotated within said stem to disengage the plunger or latch from, and interlock with, the stem.

3. The improved card receptacle made with a retaining rod socket, a retaining rod having a shank to engage the cards and a stem to occupy the socket made with a 1011- gitudinal recess terminating in an enlarged circumferential recess, a spring pressed plunger normally engaging the latter; a key, a key closure adapted to receive said key, said closure being rotatably secured in longitudinal relation within said stem, so that when the key is inserted in said closure and rotated said plunger is disengaged from said stem and the key brought into longitudinal locking engagement with the latter to withdraw it from the file or drawer.

4. The combination with a file or drawer having a normally locked card retaining rod having a stem, of means to unlock and withdraw said card retaining rod comprising a rotatable key closure having a slot therein, said key closure being contained within said stem portion of said card retaining rod and said slot adapted to be alined with a longitudinal key receiving slot in said stem that is made with an oifset or circumferential recess, a spring pressed lock or plunger 006perating with said offset, a housing in the tile or drawer within which said plunger is mounted, and a key adapted to enter said slots and to be rotated to disengage said spring pressed plunger from said stem portion and simultaneously interlock with the latter.

5. The combination with a file or drawer having a card retaining rod of means to lock and unlock said rod in the drawer comprising a housing or socket containing therein an inwardly pressing spring pressed plunger or bolt, a stem portion on said retaining rod fitting within said housing and provided with a recess and means for holding the former against rotary movement within the latter, means consisting of a tapering portion on said stem forming a cam or inclined plane, to repel said plunger or bolt when the retaining rod is inserted in the drawer until the recessed portion of said stem is brought in radial alinement with said plunger when the latter automatically locks the stem to the said housing; and rotatable key controlled means to disengage the plunger and withdraw said card retaining rod.

6. The combination with a file or drawer having a card retaining rod, of a locking and operating device therefor, said device comprising a stem portion on said rod, a movable plunger arranged to engage and look said stem portion, and a key rotating Signed by me at Boston, Mass, this fifin and reinforced by a rotatable key closure, teenth day of April, 1912. for unlocking said movable plunger and simultaneously engaging said stem portion in JAMES FRANIX DUNLEAVY 5 position to operate the same for releasing Witnesses:

the cards and said key closure mounted in JOSEPH T. BRENNAN,

said stem. MARY A. OBRIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington D. G. 

